When you book ahead of time, you are more likely to enjoy:

    1.  Early booking promotions which could include:

• Free room nights or category upgrades
• Free transfers to and from the resort
• Discounts on spa services
• Free or discounted attraction tickets and meal vouchers
• Free onboard credit (for travelers taking a cruise)
• Kids free specials
  ​ 

    2.  The best flight prices and schedules

• The closer you get to departure, the more likely your flight is to be three to five times more expensive. As seats sell, the airline continues to increase the fare. That's why you may see "3 seats left at this price" at times next to the price... the airline only prices so many seats at a certain price, and then it jumps to the next price until those are gone, and increases again and again.
  
• Seat availability will also become more limited as you wait. If you want your children to sit near you, you better book in advance to ensure seat selection together is an option.  
  
  

    3. The best hotel prices and room category availability

• Waiting could mean the only rooms available are now the higher cost junior suites and suites, instead of the standard room you were hoping to pay for.
  
  

     4.  More affordable payment plans 

• i.e. the longer you have until your trip, the smaller your monthly payments will be. 

The longer you put off booking your travel, the faster the cheap accommodations and transportation will fill up. The quality options and best schedules are first to go. It's kind of like if you want to go to the popular restaurant in town, a reservation is recommended if you hope to get a table Friday night. You'll need to book your reservation as soon as possible, or you probably won't be able to get in and have to settle for something else you don't want. 


Book With a Travel Agent to Maximize Savings:

At the risk of sounding self-serving, another way to make luxury travel more affordable, is to book with a travel agent. There are some deals that are simply not online, or even available to the general public. When you work with Destinations HD, you get access to the insider secrets for the best deals on flights and hotels you might not be able to find anywhere else.

For example, let's say you want a 7-day trip to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. We might know of a new resort that is going to be open by the time of your trip. As a result we might be able to get you a discounted room in celebration of the grand opening. That's the benefit of working with a reputable travel agent. We keep up with the travel news that most people not working in the industry won't be aware of.

Believe it or not, your luxury travel experience might not be as expensive as you expect. Book your consultation today for a stress-free vacation experience. We’ll help you design a vacation that meets your needs and budget! ​

Experiences Await...
#experiencesawait #destinationshd

Today is my last day in paradise and I will be leaving a piece of my heart in Fiji. I'm so sad to leave and wish life can be this beautiful all the time! 

While I'm exhausted from a whirlwind visit seeing so many hotels around these amazing islands in just a week's time - I have to admit I was a little stressed at first thinking about the long travel time and packing for a trip this far.  Did you know the inter-island flights only allows 33 lbs for checked luggage? YIKES! What girl can travel that light - Am I right?! haha! :)  

I'm pretty good at packing and mixing outfits to save space, as I've learned many years ago how much I hate lugging heavy bags around. However, 33 lbs adds up quickly and made for a new type of packing experience for me. 

Travel planning is exciting and fun, but when it's almost time to leave, and sometimes during your trip, things can go a different way that you may not be ready for. This can cause you to be just as stressed as you were prior to your departure. ​

The number one cause of not full enjoying a vacation, is a tie between dealing with stressful situations that came up on your trip, and not leaving the stress of life back home at home. With that in mind, here are some simple tips for taking the stress out of travel...

If you are anything like me, the winter gets you thinking about getting the heck out of here and finding a nice beach to thaw out on!!  

​I was recently accepted as 1 of 15 travel agents nationwide to go to Fiji next month and it can't get here fast enough! I will tour multiple islands and a vast array of resorts on a whirlwind visit in Fiji, but I'm excited for paradise and look forward to sharing my experiences with you!

​As you start planning your upcoming beach getaway, I have some insight regarding how to select your room category that you may find beneficial...

Working with Destinations HD, ensures you get a tailor-made travel experience with each detail personalized to what YOU need, want and desire from your precious time away.  However, as we have grown, and travel has become more readily available – and affordable – to a wider number of people, we’ve noticed an increase in both spontaneous and research based travelers. 

These are the people who either spend hours poring over reviews and forums to determine just what they want OR the people who don’t know what they want and like to have more flexibility while they are away. Less itinerary and more “seize the day” type vacations. 

This is where our new service comes in – Pick My Brain!  We offer this new service to those who know they want a travel advisor in their corner, but don’t necessarily want all of the bells and whistles of our travel planning concierge expertise. 

To these clients, we offer the following as part of our new service with trusted and expert advice: 

• Destination Selection:
  We receive a lot of clients who have no idea where they want to go – sometimes it’s simply “something tropical, or maybe Greece or Italy or Bali or Mexico?”.  The way we can help is by asking the right questions to figure out exactly what you want to get out of your trip and what you want to experience – the memories you want to bring home.  
  
  Once we ascertain what you want, it gets easier to narrow down your options and once we couple your answers with logistics, such as how long you have to travel, what kind of budget is at your disposal, the time of year you’ll be creating those memories, etc... we can really hone in on the options that will work best for you.
  
  The reason we are able to do this more quickly for you is that our career, day in and day out, is travel. We read articles, travel regularly, attend workshops, webinars, conferences, take courses and programs, all designed to keep us up-to-date and knowledgeable about airport hubs, monsoon seasons, active volcanoes, beaches with high rip tides, school breaks across the world, civil unrest, new dive discoveries, hotel updates, off-the-beaten path hidden gems, and so much more!  We have already put in the hours to become experts that you can trust so that you can concentrate on planning the fun parts of your dream getaway.
  
  
• Assistance with Travel Insurance, Passports & Visas:
  Did you know that if you want to travel to Vietnam you need to know which airport in the country that you’re entering in and that you have to apply for a Visa to enter the country before you depart the USA? Or that to enter India or Thailand you need to have proof of your plan to exit the country – with an onward traveling plane ticket? Not to mention that even if you can get your tourist visa once you arrive in the country, you won’t get it granted unless you have at least two blank pages of your passport available, 6 months validity on the passport AND 2 passport pictures of yourself at hand? We do – and we can help you understand the steps you’ll need to take in order to be prepared to have the adventure of a lifetime! 
  
  
• Accommodation and Transportation Advice:
  With all of the options available, it can get overwhelming to figure out which hotel, resort, cruise or even which DISTRICT or city you’re supposed to stay in. What’s the difference between Cabo San Lucas and Cabo San Jose? What does five stars have that four stars doesn’t? An all-inclusive just means you get everything included right? Is it realistic to plan on walking around London? Is it safe to hire scooters in Thailand? Can you just rely on buses or underground systems in France? Will you need to rent a car in Grand Cayman?
  
  We can answer all of these questions and more – for example, did you know that hotel rooms in Europe adhere to a different standard than we are used to in the USA and that bedding sizes are different? Furthermore, if you have more than 3 people traveling, it can be difficult to find accommodations in one room in Europe. Or that with all-inclusive resorts, what's included, service level and the quality do vary significantly (even when the star rating is the same) which can either make or break your vacation? We can help! You may not need a travel concierge, but it never hurts to have a travel advisor in your corner. 
  
  
• Reservation Booking:
  You know where you want to go, you know where you want to stay and you’re ready to get it all locked in, but don't trust the online website or service if anything goes wrong. We are delighted to assist you with booking the trip for you (as long as it's a provided option through our extensive supplier network*) and will provide you everything you need to embark on your next adventure!
  
  

*We do not book properties outside our supplier network due to legal and ethical reasons, as some are privately owned and have not been vetted or authorized, so there is no guarantee on the type of experiences, cleanliness or service you will receive, and we would be unable to assist you while traveling in the event that there is a problem with the property. 
 
We are excited to be able to offer this new service to our loyal clients, old and new, and can’t wait to get started helping you create memories to last a lifetime! Call us to discuss your travel plans and see how we can assist you! (913) 244-9195   #experiencesawait #destinationshd

Experiences Await...

I hope you have been enjoying the holiday season thus far. I can't believe this year is almost over!! 

​Recently, I have received a lot of questions regarding passports and travel requirements, and with the most recent event of a couple getting kicked off their cruise in South Korea for not having the proper documentation (which you can read the article online here) - I thought it was a good idea to address a few details regarding Passport Laws... 

Here’s why: They leave to these new and exciting destinations and want to cram as much as they can into their getaway. The fear of missing out takes over and before they know it, they have an itinerary so packed that sleep is lost because rest takes a backseat to the “thrill” of seeing something new. With that in mind, here are some things to consider so you can enjoy your vacation fully, and come home refreshed:

1. Be cautious of the tourist traps
Not everything that a destination offers is right for you. In fact, you might find that doing some of them is boring, or even uninteresting to you. For example, if everyone swears you have to visit the museums of a city, but you loathe museums, why put yourself through the torture?

Don’t do every activity available at the traps either. For example, if you want to go the popular beaches, that’s all well and good. But, but do you really need to plan every activity possible while there? Instead of jet skiing, and an evening cruise, and snorkeling, and intro to scuba diving, and all the other things you could schedule, why not pick one or two and leave the rest of your itinerary open?

2. Don’t try to see every city in a 20-mile radius
Just because you are visiting one city in a country, doesn’t mean you need to try and do excursions to all the cities that are surrounding it. Even a visitor to Disney World couldn’t see the whole park and get the “full Disney experience” in a day or two. Therefore, trying to see all of an entire city in one day, and then another the next, and another the next will leave you tired and missing most of the best aspects of each destination.

Give yourself time in one destination to check out the cool coffee shop that all the locals visit. Or delve further away from the tourist spots and tap into the true flavor of the space, rather than the “expected” hot spots.

Besides, it’s important to keep in mind that all the traveling from city to city is going to take up precious vacation time. So stop stressing about trying to cross off more destinations from your bucket list, and give yourself a chance to truly enjoy the surroundings and culture.

3. If you want to destination hop, make it a faster trip, or a better one
For example, if you simply can’t stand the thought of only seeing one country on your trip, in lieu of driving or taking a train, take a flight. Flying to Paris from Rome is 2 hours, but driving will take 14 hours or more. And, a train isn’t that much shorter at 11 hours. Then again, if you insist on a train ride from one destination to the next, at least get one that will be scenic, and relaxing. In other words, instead of taking a train ride at night, take one during the day with a window seat so you can see all the sights along the route.

4. Don’t plan an activity for every hour of the day
Leave several empty spaces in your schedule to avoid stress and overwhelm. Avoid trying to see every landmark too. A better choice is to pick between one and three hot spots you really want to see and leave wiggle room for the rest.

Besides, travel never goes exactly as we plan for it too. Long lines at tourist spots, and transportation between places that takes more time than you thought it would - these are two things alone that can cause many people to begin panicking that they are going over the time they have allotted for the experiences on their itinerary.

Don’t forget the time you lose if you get lost trying to find your way around. I have personally been lost in many major cities trying to find my way - which can end up as one of the best and most fun travel memories! Therefore, give yourself time for those unexpected detours that may lead you to something more enjoyable.


Bottom line - the more free time you give yourself on your trip, the more you will enjoy yourself.

Remember, the whole point of a vacation is to calm down, and take things slow. Recharge your batteries, don’t burn them out.  Don't try to squeeze too much into your trip.  If you’re going to hustle to the point of exhaustion, you could have stayed home and gone to work instead. 

When you are ready to plan your next adventure - call Destinations HD (913) 244-9195! Let us handle the logistics so you can just enjoy yourself and explore the world! 

​Experiences Await...